Mary Allen
Not only humans but also animals are increasingly suffering from allergies. But what is an allergy and what symptoms indicate it?
Allergy is an excessive defense reaction of the body to substances from which the body does not need to be protected at all. These substances, called allergens, can come from anywhere: from food, from the environment, and from your own home.
There are allergies that occur on first contact with an allergen, but there are also allergies that require repeated exposure. An example of an immediate allergy is flea salivary dermatitis: if the animal is allergic, a flea bite is sufficient.
Most allergies are of the immediate type. An example of a late reaction is contact dermatitis. This is an inflammation of the skin that only occurs after a substance (such as a detergent) has touched the animal several times.
Itching First, Then Skin Changes
The classic symptom of allergies is skin reactions with red spots, which later ooze and become inflamed. Attention: ears, anal glands, and paws are also related to the skin!
This means that dogs that are prone to ear infections or lick their paws are also prone to allergies.
In the case of allergies, itching first occurs, and then the skin changes. Scratching the animals makes it nearly impossible for the skin to heal. Thus, bacteria and fungi are an ideal starting point and cause infections that cannot be resolved by simple allergy treatment. Allergy is an exceptional diagnosis that requires some testing that a veterinarian can usually do in his or her practice.
Food allergies also lead to skin problems. Digestive problems such as flatulence or diarrhea are also common. Most animals have an allergic reaction to the meat component, most often dogs have a reaction to beef. But soybeans, grains, and rice can also cause problems.
Dogs also have hay fever. Animals react not only to pollen but also to house dust or fungal spores. Does your dog have clear seasonal nasal discharge and sneeze more often in the spring? Then it may indeed be hay fever, even if it is rare in dogs.
Prepare for Your Veterinarian Visit
Your veterinarian will ask you a lot of questions. It is worth thinking about some of them in advance – in the process of treatment, one quickly forgets this or that.
Among other things, your veterinarian will ask you if you have always fed the same or changed food. This also applies to treats. He will also ask you if you have used a new detergent, indoor spray, cleaner, floor wax, or a new bowl. In fact, it’s a good idea to calmly go through cleaning products and recent purchases.
New walks are also a way to trigger an allergic reaction. And, of course, flea and tick collars or stains, ointments, and other medicines that are applied to the skin. If your animal has had this condition for a long time, you should consider whether itching occurs all year round or only at certain times of the year.
Allergy Therapy is Often Exhausting
If your dog is allergic, your veterinarian will give you various instructions that are not always easy to follow. It is worth trying, though, because your dog suffers a lot from all forms of allergies. And your veterinarian certainly doesn’t want to annoy you with his instructions.
Initially, therapy is to avoid the trigger of the allergy, be it changing feed, changing detergent, or avoiding certain meadows.
In the case of flea salivary dermatitis, it is necessary to combat the trigger, that is, the infestation of fleas. It is also important that the dog leaves the inflamed areas alone. This can be achieved with a bodysuit or an intimidating collar around the neck.
There is Also Desensitization for Animals
Immunotherapy, in which your pet gets used to an increase in the allergen dose, is relatively expensive and must be done for life. If this is the only way to prevent your pet from having to take cortisone or other medications for life, then it is certainly worth a try. However, this therapy is not yet available for all allergens.
Your veterinarian has a wide variety of antipruritic medications at your disposal. Classic cortisone is very helpful in the initial phase of treatment, but if possible, it should not be given for life. Antihistamines are effective against hay fever and insect bites, but they are not sufficient for a severe skin reaction.
The relatively new Apoquel can be given continuously, but it modulates the immune system and therefore can increase susceptibility to infections and worsen cancers.
Atopic, also a very effective drug, does not make you more susceptible to infections, but it also increases your risk of cancer. Atopica can be given less and less.
A chronic allergy to environmental allergens (called atopic dermatitis) is hereditary. Therefore, you should no longer breed with a chronic allergy sufferer so that the offspring do not suffer from excruciating itching or need medication for life.